Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to liquid transport and desalination technology and, more specifically, to methods and systems for bulk seawater transportation and desalination.
Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Fresh water is a precious resource, vital to the health of humankind. Unfortunately, growing populations and the increased need for water stress the existing natural sources of fresh water so severely that existing aquifers are being depleted. Substantial backup water resources are available in the form of seawater, but must first be desalinated to be useful for cooking, consumption, and irrigation. However, present means for desalinating water is uneconomical and does not scale well. Moreover, desalination typically takes place near coastal areas and the resulting fresh water must be transported long distances inland for use.
Long distance transportation of fresh water in quantities necessary to sustain large populations can be inefficient and costly. This transportation may include use of tractor-trailers water tank trucks, or may include overland piping systems to facilitate movement of the resulting fresh water. Unattended freshwater pipelines also increase the possibility of water theft, especially in drought stricken regions.
Overland water supply pipeline systems are more efficient for movement of large quantities of water, but such systems typically require numerous pumping stations along the various routes to maintain adequate water pressure. These pumping stations commonly utilize centrifugal and/or positive-displacement pumps that are costly, consume substantial energy, and require continuous maintenance due to the numerous moving parts and constant impingement with the liquid. Moreover, unless the liquid being pumped is non-corrosive (for example, fresh water) the materials chosen for such pumps must be able to withstand highly corrosive substances. This further increases the cost of production and operation of such systems.
The transportation of seawater or other high-salinity liquids is not economical and is impractical with current systems due to the corrosion factor with existing pumping technology. Consequently, such liquids must be desalinated close to the source with the resultant fresh water transported to inland regions. However, existing pipelines only transport a limited distance and cannot efficiently reach most drought stricken regions.
The present invention references the work of Takezawa, et al. as described in their work entitled, Operation of the Thruster for Superconducting Electromagnetohydrodynamic Propulsion Ship “YAMAMOTO 1”, which was published in the March 1995 volume of the Mechanical Engineering Scientific Journal, and which is incorporated herein by reference for all necessary purposes. Takezawa, et al. presented proof that an oceangoing ship could be propelled by magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) thrusters. The MHD thrusters utilized by Takezawa, et al. required use of superconducting electromagnets and necessary support structure to generate sufficient magnetic flux to achieve the desired Lorentz force. The present invention relies on the basic underlying principles of physics leveraged by Takezawa, et al., but does so with an entirely unique structure and purpose that does not require superconductivity and the attendant costs and complexities of such systems. The resultant liquid transport technology described and claimed herein effectively contains no moving parts, and would not be subject to ongoing maintenance issues encountered with existing liquid transport technologies.
Further, desalinating high-salinity liquids is currently inefficient and costly when performed in bulk. For example, desalination plants relying on steam distillation encounter tremendous maintenance efforts due to scaling of the distillation components and require enormous energy to operate. Likewise, plants utilizing reverse osmosis technology require enormous energy to push water through the reverse osmosis polyamide membranes. Thus the current combination of inefficient pumping technology and inefficient desalination/filtration technology makes utilization of saltwater for conversion to freshwater out of reach for use by drought stricken regions. The present invention solves these problems and others, as will be understood by one of ordinary skill following a detailed reading and understanding of the accompanying figures, detailed disclosure, and claims.